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How a Prestigious Awards Ceremony Inspired Jamey Johnson’s Biggest Hit From 2008
Jamey Johnson’s song “In Color” grew from a conversation about old black-and-white photographs shown at the BMI Awards. The 2008 hit imagines a grandfather recalling wartime experiences to his grandson, and its themes of memory and family were also shaped by Johnson’s own late grandfather.
Songwriter Lee Thomas Miller recalled that the ceremony’s historical photos made him wonder who the people in them were. Johnson suggested the phrase “You should have seen it in color”, and he, Miller and James Otto developed the idea into a song for Johnson’s album *That Lonesome Song*. “In Color” won the CMA Award for Song of the Year and received two Grammy nominations.
In short
- Old BMI Awards photos sparked the idea for “In Color”.
- Johnson drew on memories of his late grandfather.
- The song won a CMA Award and earned two Grammy nominations.
Explained simply
Jamey Johnson is an American country singer and songwriter, and Lee Thomas Miller and James Otto are fellow songwriters. The three worked together on “In Color”, which appeared on Johnson’s 2008 album That Lonesome Song.
The song uses a grandfather’s memories, including wartime experiences, to explore how family stories give meaning to old photographs. Its ideas drew on a conversation about historical pictures at the BMI Awards and on Johnson’s memories of his own grandfather; the song later won the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year award and received two Grammy nominations.
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